Arachnophobia
by Dale Idle Wells
Summary: FRS Universe. As Todd struggles to prove himself, the X-Men are pitted against a powerful insect mutant with a ruthless cunning and a deceptive purpose. Sequel to Free Running Savior.
1. Arachnophobia: Part 1

So I found an idea that I liked and I have decided to try and go with it, throwing in some little twists and turns of my own devices. I've also decide to keep this in the Free Running Savior (FRS) universe that I've now created.

I'm going to keep Todd's dynamics in the previous story the same as this one, as well as his unique skills of free running, or parkour if you call it that, and martial arts. I might give him something similar to a street skill he should have but we haven't seen yet.

Also, I plan to introduce a villainous group that I will try and have them reoccur in other stories and a few of the villains come back as well. So it should interesting.

Any who, enjoy all

* * *

**Arachnophobia**

The sky was light gray color when the morning larks started singing that god awful morning song they always belted out.

It was really unfortunate for one student, a new one in fact, that the birds were perched right outside his window. Todd groaned as he felt his mind being dragged from its beautiful deep sleep and into the dimly lit morning. He sat up and grabbed the clock beside with a slurred ramble of curse words.

He then flopped back on the bed, moaning at the time. 5:45.

Sighing, the ex-Brotherhood mutant stood up groggily and started getting dressed. It was week since he took Xavier up on his offer and this had to be the fourth night he had been unable to sleep well. Even with his new training schedule and homework, Todd still found it restless here.

And he knew why. It was because of people in the house and how uncomfortable they were with him living at the house. That, in turn, made Todd feel unsafe in the house, a reflex he had picked up from the streets; to sleep with one eye open when in a place you don't trust.

Todd shook his head as he changed out of his sweat pants and into a pair of beige cargo pants, shuffling across and out of the room. He stifled a yawn as he stopped in front of the bathroom and gave a knock on the door.

One of the nice things was that Todd had actually gotten a chance to go and buy some different clothes. So now, instead of three pairs of pants to wear, he had eight and instead of four shirts, he had about ten.

Hearing the room was empty, Todd let himself in and flipped the faucets on. Steam rose up around his face in a few seconds, the amphibious mutant taking in a deep breath of the warmness.

He looked around and grabbed a facecloth, dropping it into the water. The only thing he was unsure about was the showering business he and Xavier had discussed.

Some of the kids complained bitterly about his smell and they had complained to some of the teachers. Todd hadn't been given a chance before he was in front of Xavier. There, he explained to Logan, Ororo and Xavier why he couldn't get rid of the smell and why he couldn't shower as much.

There was even only one reason.

The only reason Todd didn't shower so much was because of his amphibious nature, his skin extreme sensitive to certain kinds of chemicals that were in shampoo and certain soaps. It had been really bad when he was a kid but he managed to develop a resistance to some kinds, like Dial and any shampoo that was made from natural sources.

So Xavier had been trying to get him a special kind of cleaning stuff and Todd had made an effort to bathe at least every other day in an effort to at least lessen the smell.

Todd fished the scalding hot cloth out of the water and pressed it against his face, his skin tingling as he held the cloth there and felt the sleep get shocked out of his body. Dropping it back in the sink, Todd rolled his neck as he remembered what was up for him today.

It was his first official team training day and technically his first training session ever with the X-Men. He was actually a little curious to see what it would be like, the other part of him wishing he could just take a one on one with Wolverine instead.

Not in a macho sense either. The much older man was clearly a master of several styles that Todd would never hear of, so he wanted to just see what he was capable of doing against a much stronger and much more skilled opponent and he was one of the few adults that he could do that without worry of hurt him.

That was another thing Todd was trying to get used to. He was used to having adults around him that threatened him with violence but he had never had one do it subtlety. Todd had nearly died of a heart attack when Wolverine just snuck up on him while he was in the garden, the amphibious mutant clearing the twelve foot tree easily in fright.

And all he did was ask what he was looking for.

Todd took the cloth out and rung in dry again, laying the smoldering cloth in the back of his neck. A grin slid across his face as the muscles were soothed out from his uncomfortable sleep, the warm tingle pulsing down the coolness of his back.

Rubbing the cloth on his neck, Todd made his way back to his room, his footsteps soft and quiet as to not disturb the others around him.

Throwing a pair of shirts and his shoes on, Todd was down the hallway and at the stair case. He grinned as he flipped over the railing and landed in a roll. Standing up, Todd hummed as he walked into the kitchen, leaving the lights off as he went about getting breakfast ready.

Todd had been essentially taking care of himself since he was about ten years old, when no one in the orphanage would let him know when dinner was and he was often bullied. Darius also showed him how to do that as well as teaching him to fight and to free-running, the older boy learning from Todd the way of the street life.

The graying light was brightening slowly so Todd was able to work quickly and efficiently, toasting bread and pouring cereal before squatting on the widow sill to watch the sun with a glass of water.

He liked the mansion, it had pleasant environment but it was ruined by the people in it. Most of the adults in the house were great but there time when it felt a bit complicated because he wasn't used to them.

He sipped his water to loosen the toast in his throat and munch down another spoonful of cereal as he watched a starling land on the sill, starting his singing for the day. Todd knew he was going to have to take the good with the bad and he was aware that he was going to have to work for it, something that didn't really mind.

The door to the kitchen opened with a slight whoosh of wind and Todd turned to be greeted by Ororo Munroe's motherly smile, Hank McCoy near her as well.

"Morning, Ms. Munroe, morning Hank. Had a good night sleep, yo?" Todd asked as he turned to the two adults.

"Ah, Mr. Tolansky, the resident's new early bird." Hank said cheerfully, Todd shrugging. "I scarcely doubted that someone would be dressed and ready before Ororo or me but I'm glad to see that I'm wrong sometimes."

"Eh, just a force of habit, doc."

"Have you eaten, child? I was about to cook breakfast for the rest of the house." Ororo asked, opening the fridge as Todd crunched down on a piece of toast.

Todd shook his head and picked up his dishes to show her he had eaten with a goofy grin; next to Xavier, his favorite teachers had to be these two. Both of them had welcomed him warmly, Hank in particular, and had helped him settle in quickly.

The feeling was odd. The amphibious mutant wasn't used to having adults being so kind to him. Generally, the adults he knew just spat anti-mutant remarks and threw punches at him.

"So, what are your plans for the day?" Hank asked as he sat on the opposite side of the table. "Still exploring the house?"

"There is no way I can ever finish that, yo. I actually have to get my X-Uniform and then have my first training session and I was goanna use my morning time to do some warm ups." Todd said before scooping the last of his breakfast in his mouth. "Reason I'm not eating a lot right away."

"Ah, your first training exercise." Hanks said, a looking over his face. "I would be carefully if some of the older students are watching you."

"Eh, I heard about that from Lance." Todd said with a shrug as he stood up. "I understand if they do screw around a bit with the simulation."

Ororo looked at him in curiosity. "Why's that child?"

"Because five days ago, I was still their enemy and I would still be cautious if I were them." Todd said, leaving the dishes in the sink. "I'll talk to you guys later, yo."

Todd whistled as he walked out of the kitchen and opened a glass door, the morning light getting bright enough for him to see the morning dew mist. Todd trotted down the steps and stripped his top shirt off so he just wore a white tank.

Todd squatted down and extended his leg out to the side, beginning his long routine of stretches. Theoretically, Todd didn't need to stretch himself out because of his superhuman muscles but Todd had found that more he stretched out the more comfortable he would be when he did the real thing later on.

Switching sides, Todd found himself reminiscing over Darius. The young mutant remembered how the two of them would go out early in the morning to practice the katas and spar with each other before anyone got there.

Todd winced slightly in fond memory, remembering the sore limbs after a day long practice.

Leaning forward onto his hands, Todd let his legs straighten out behind and began to pushups. Todd had been forced to stop his practice of his fighting skills when he joined Mystique. He just found himself slacking off more and more, until finally, about five months, Todd finally decided to get back into his skills.

It had been like riding a bike ever since.

Todd stood and twisted himself from side to side, rolling his neck. Slowly, the amphibious mutant took of at a speed jog, his sneakers squeaking wetly on the new dew.

Todd had gotten good at running when he ran from jocks that were too stupid or unaware to know that he could have dealt with them. But then again, he had gone through a very long phase of just staying out of fights and just taking the abuse that he nearly forgot how to fight.

Todd hopped both of his feet off the ground and bounced off the grass into the air, his body arching over into a flip. His eyes always watched the direction he was going, the ground racing up to face him and his extend his arms carefully.

His elbows bent slowly and threw him back up onto his feet, rolling right back over to his hands.

He loved practicing his acrobatics because his mutations allowed him to perform them masterfully, with all of the right amounts of control. His eyes then noticed a black blur approaching his body.

Todd crouched down on his feet as he landed and jumped to the side, twisting his body in a somersault. A leg swept out where he had been going next, the amphibious boy landing in an offensive crouch.

"What's a matter, bub? Ya can't wait to train?" Wolverine asked playfully as he walked closer with his hands in his pockets.

Todd sighed with a grin and stood up, his stance dropped immediately when he realized it was his soon to be instructor.

"I just want to get a good warm up, yo. One I'm used to doing." Todd explained, pulling his arms over his shoulders.

"Didn't think I would get this kind of dedication from you, Tree-frog." Logan said gruffly, his claws popping out and in to cut his cigar tip off.

"Like everyone knows so much about me." Todd said sarcastically. "O, lookie, it's Toad, I wonder, can he keep up, yo?"

Logan paused as he looked at the cold, raw defiance that bristled in Todd's face. The ex-Brotherhood member was right in a sense. There really wasn't anything to define his skills except word of mouth and that was piss poor way to hear about things.

Todd sighed, twisting his back and holding one leg behind him. Logan took a long drag from his cigar, the amphibious mutant hopping forward into a handstand and back to his feet.

"I'll see you at practice, Wolverine." Todd said as he took off to the woods, his body pulsing with anticipation.

"Whatever, Tree-frog."

* * *

In the Bayville Hospital, Steven Marrs was recovering from the injuries he had suffered from that mutant. His entire right shoulder was crushed, the socket joint cracked in several vital places. His skin was also suffering from massive tissue damage and slight internal bleeding.

All because of that one freak…

But that freak had been different. He knew how to fight them, he didn't hold back because he wasn't afraid and he said that he had been attacked by the FOH before.

Steven hissed in disgust as a spasm went through his shoulder, the pieces of bone cutting as the muscles moved around them. He took several deep breaths and forced his body to relax.

Dear God, how he hated these mutant freaks, soiling and threatening the world that they lived in. They were just waiting for the chance to just overthrow the normal people, making them slaves to their powers and then eradicate all those that weren't mutants. But thanks to the FOH, they had begun to fight back against the rising threat that had begun to poison the minds of kids with word of peace.

Steven scoffed; mutants and peace. The very idea was pathetic, the filth-

The door to his left creaked open and when he turned to look, the FOH member felt a sharp pain in his shoulder that sent him in a storm of curses.

"Mr. Marrs, for you to use such language in the presence of lady is greatly frowned upon." A silky voice said, three shadows floating over his body.

"This was no result of accident or malfunction." A soft woman's voice said, her heads outline looking over the prone man. "This means that there was a mutant that was able to destroy our product."

"Please…" Steven whispered, the voices pausing. "I wasn't lying…please don't kill me…"

There was a rouse of chuckles, the woman sighing in annoyance as the injured man pleaded. The center shadow waved its hands and the chuckled died a bit but the aura of amusement still rolled onto Steven.

The injure man shook his head, the drugs seeming to kick in because a shadow seemed to four tentacles' waving above its head or looking like it was bleeding out with heat waves.

"Mr. Marrs-" It was the silky voice, now tinted with amusement. "-I'm going to give you a chance to tell me who did this."

"But…but…I don't know…" The was a stretch of silence, the air around those in the room tensing up. "Please, I…I don't who did this…"

The shadows waved slightly and one moved, Steven wond-

Some large and thick suddenly slammed down on Steven's shoulder, plowing through the skin to destroyed bones. Steven mouth went wide but the pain was so great that he wasn't even able to scream.

His eyes forced themselves in their sockets but they caught sight of several gangly, brown hairs, like a dogs fur sticking out.

"Lissten, you pathetic like weasel; we need to know who beat youuu….so we can take care of him…" This voice was new, so ruff and gnarly he sounded like its vocal cords had been sanded down with shards of glass. "Weee gave a product that wasss found trashed…completely!"

"Arachnar, hindering that anger would be wise." The woman said almost airily.

"Katana, don'ttt tell mee how ttto do thissss." The new voice said, twist the object threateningly in Steven's body.

"Okay! ...okay…listen…some, green…freak…just hopped out of nowhere and…trashed your droid…" Steven said tightly, sweat rolling off his body as his body shook with pain. "Acted liked some street hoodlum but…he knew this…this kid from the Xavier Mansion…and he could fight…holy shit, he could fight…"

The three were silent and suddenly the object was torn from his shoulder, twisting Steven so he could see his unwanted visitors.

The one closest was a lean man who had just finished putting a large leather coat on and his long brown hair fell out from underneath a hood, his light wheezing breathing lessening as he turned away; his back had a bulge to it, as thought he was wearing a backpack under the coat.

The woman he kept hearing was dressed in all white robes, a white hood covering her face and a black sword at her side; her posture and gaze gave her a strange aura and odd royalty, like she was in the wrong time era.

Another, a man, stood in front of her, a jacket cover his bare chest and his spiked blue mohawk was just above the rest of his hair; his eyes were the real thing that caught Steven's attention, the pits an empty blackness.

"Arachnar, go and find this green mutant." The woman said, the long haired man chuckled as he walked to the window. "Creation, I want you destroy all traces of that android from police custody."

"Easy, Katana, won't take less than an hour; what about you?" The blue Mohawk man asked, his black eyes seemingly glancing at the hospitalized man.

"I'll let the master and the others know the updates." The woman said as her soft voice cutting like steel. "But before that…"

It was all a blur and the last thing he would ever see, Steven never saw it coming.

The woman's sword slide out with a simple pull and whirled around on either side of her in rapid spins. The razor teeth then sank into his neck, the entire width of the blade fitting in his throat. He only just caught a glimpse of her eyes, a typhoon whirlwind of purple fire.

"Now…" Her voice, like her eyes, softened slightly. "Rest without pain and without anger."

The blade was extended from the long sleeves of her robes and red bolts danced silently down the blade, Steven Marrs body lighting on fire as though it were made of gasoline. Igniting from the inside, his skin melted off and he collapsed into ashes.

The mutant hater ceased to exist.

She turned to Arachnar, the man crouched against the sill outside the window and cocked his head at her.

"Now…find that kid and deal with him." Katana ordered, the man gone before her sword was free of the body and returned to its scabbard, it's only place of peace and rest

* * *

Tabitha Smith yawned lazily as she woke up and stretched out, her bright blonde hair like a flashlight as the sun shone on it. Ruffling her hair, she yawned loudly as she stood up and stretched like a cat.

She loved lazy Saturdays like this because everyone got a chance to lay in bed a few extra minutes…unless you were Scott Summers, who was nearly married to the Danger Room, or Logan, who never slept, or Storm, who was a member of the race of beings known as morning people.

As she pulled her hand through hair while looking lazily for a comb, Tabby was pleasantly rewarded when she looked out her window to see a bare-chested Todd. He was out on the foyer, on the west side of the mansion, and was going through something that was highly energetic.

The green teenager was kicking at vary levels and would then flip to the side or back, jumping up with twist to give another kick. He bounced off the railing onto the wall and then flipped off with a kick that blurred down in front of him. He then began to alternate between punches, kicks and other acrobatics.

As she lazily watched her friend and old housemate, Tabby thought back to when he had arrived at the mansion two weeks ago. Todd had taken a pretty bad beating to save Summers and he had acted like it was no big deal, despite that she knew that Scott would have been dead without Todd's help.

She bit her lip as she stared at the toned body that her friend had and couldn't help but feel a slight desire for him rise up in her stomach. Tabby smiled, thinking that she would have flirting with him and wouldn't mind the day that he returns the favor.

Flipping her stereo on and dancing the room while getting dressed, Tabby enjoyed the everlasting smile on her face and the image of Todd in her head.

* * *

"Man, yo, this one sweet outfit, Professor. Thanks." Todd said happily, zipping the vest shirt up.

"Give it a little test before you get your own and tell me how it feels, Mr. Tolansky." Professor Xavier said kindly, smiling with Ororo at the teenager's enthusiasm.

Todd rolled his arms and swung them too and fro, happy with his range of motion in his new uniform. It wasn't as bad as the costumes that he had seen the other X-Men wearing and it actually allowed him freedom of movement as well.

Xavier watched the young man a few jabs and elbow strikes in his sleeveless vest-shirt, the black fabric hugging to him like an embrace of darkness. The X on his uniform was over his chest and the bottom point touched just past his midriff while the top ones went over his shoulder to past his upper back, the colors dark green on black.

Todd leaned back, his super flexible and strong back allowing him to have the kind of control that either made you jealous or sick. He reached back and placed the palms of his hands on the floor. Xavier chuckled at the look that Ororo and Kitty were giving Todd as he held himself still, their eyes nearly too wide for their face.

The pants had to be specially made for him, the durability and flexibility enhanced for his super powerful legs. The main color of the pants was black but the insides of his legs were dark green, his belt the standard X-Men belt that everyone had. He also had pouches on his thighs, the cloth loose until he was stretching and then the muscles were able to be seen slightly.

Xavier had deliberately had the outfit made to match what he thought would Todd's personality would suit and make him feel a bit more part of the team when he was training with the X-Men. Plus, they hadn't tested his fighting abilities yet and Scott had been able to give a rough estimation of what he could do.

Which he was about to do.

Todd lifted his legs off the ground and then held them at a ninety degree angel over his back. Now it was the Professor's turn to hold a face of slight shock, Todd's control greater than he initially expected. Maybe the test would be more enlightening that originally thought.

The amphibious mutant then rolled his body over and dropped his feet down, chuckling as he did so. He then turned back to the Professor, his face plastered with a big, ole goofy grin.

"This is great, Xavier. I might need a coat when it gets colder, but I think I can handle this for the spring and summer." Todd said, his gaze looking to his feet as he tried a stance.

"I'm glad you like it, Mr. Tolansky. Now, if we may, lets move onto testing your combat abilities." Xavier said, Todd slightly hesitating when followed the wheelchair bound man.

Todd slid his hand in his pockets and sighed slightly, his eyes wandering around the steel hallway. Ororo and Kitty followed behind them and watched Todd right beside Xavier, the younger girl was trying not to crinkle her face in disgust.

It still shocked her that Toad had been allowed to join the X-Men after all the hell he had given the X-men with the rest of the Brotherhood. He had spent the past week at the mansion, getting familiar with some of the New Mutants.

Most of them had kept their distance from him so he had decided to explore the various mansion locations. Kitty remembered seeing him on the ceiling, from the drive and then outside the attic window, and just looking across the large wooded area that was part of the estate. He also spent a lot of time in the library and lounge, reading and playing video games when Professor Xavier didn't need him.

But the thing that got Kitty at the moment was how Todd looked as to he normally looked. His long hair was pulled back and in a neat ponytail for once, the clothes revealing his profoundly defined muscles.

And not just his legs; his back was slender and small but that just meant the muscles had to be more tightly compounded and his arms were nicely shaped, the curves visible even when he wasn't flexing. If only had wasn't such an eye sore then Kitty could actually appreciate him as a hottie without the confliction of his utter grossness.

"So, am I goanna be attacked by multiple appendages or you got another trick up your sleeve, yo?" Todd asked, the silence finally broken.

"Not quiet, Todd. We're going to use a holographic simulation that will feel every bit as really as the real event but you won't die." Xavier explained. "It gives a more realistic

"That sounds cool, yo."

Xavier suddenly stopped and the three with him stopped as well, Todd frowning at the conflicted look on the older man's face. He knelt down in his natural crouch, the fabric audibly pulling.

"What is it, yo?"

"I…it appears that Cerebro has picked an active mutant, a powerful one, and is attempting to locate it but is having a hard time." Xavier explained, his hand resting on his forehead.

Todd nodded, remembering his tour of the Cerebro and the explanation that had been given. It made it pretty clear how Xavier had been able to guess that he was a mutant and it was pretty cool, being able to locate mutants over several thousands if miles away and all in between.

The Cerebro, if Todd remembered, only alerted Xavier if the mutant was unique powerful or if he had been using his powers in excess. This could mean a possible new recruit for the X-Men, unless Magneto or the Brotherhood found the mutant.

"Hey Professor, why don't you and Ororo go and check out this new signal, yo. I'm sure that Logan or Scott will be able to give you a full summary of how I do." Todd suggested, glancing at Kitty. "And I'm sure Pryde can show me my way to the Danger room."

"Are you sure, child?" Ororo asked, Todd's gentle nod and waving of his hand.

"I gotta trust these guys sooner rather than later if I'm goanna be on the team. I think I can at least trust them to get me to the training room, yo."

Xavier smiled, the teenagers commendable for his actions and his reasoning, even if the real ones weren't mentioned. He was really becoming an X-Man with all the small choices he was making.

"Very well, Todd. Kitty, if you wouldn't mind showing Todd to the Danger room, it would be most helpful." Xavier asked her kindly, Kitty nodding politely.

"Cool, yo." Todd said cheerfully, turning to Kitty. "Lead the way, Kitty."

* * *

"Okay, this, like, is it, Toad." Kitty said, struggling to keep the thankfulness out of her voice. "The Danger Room, training area for all X-Men and New Mutants."

"Well, I guess we'll find out which one I belong to soon, yo." Todd said cheerily, waiting as the door's internal latches undid themselves.

"If you belong at all…" Kitty muttered, Todd just hearing her make noise.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just good luck; Me, Scott, Kurt and Jean will be in the control room to judge you until Logan shows up, alright?" Kitty asked, covering up what she said as the doors opened.

"Cool, I'll see ya when I'm done." He said as he walked into the large metal room.

Todd took a moment to look around the large metal room, remember the only other two times he had been in the room. Once was when he just joined the Brotherhood and another time was when the Juggernaut attacked the mansion.

It was funny that the first time he came here it was by accident and the second time he was practically led in here by the X-Men. It had been a massive fight too, the Juggernaut having to be one of the strongest people he had ever met.

"Hey Toad, we're up here." A electronic version of Scott's voice sounding out from above.

Looking up, Todd saw the observatory station that was suspended a good fifty to sixty feet above the ground. Todd grinned knowing he could make the jump up to them if he wanted to try one day. The sides were covered in panels of glass and a small antenna, almost like a lighting rod, stuck out from the bottom.

It was a pretty cool set up as far as he was concerned.

"Yo, Scott; nice to hear you're doing better." Todd said, raising his voice slightly. "How's that arm?"

"It's getting there, very slowly but its better." Scott replied, Todd nodding his head in acknowledgement. "Okay Todd, you got a holographic combat simulation set up that's going to try and test all of your areas of skill. It may not be real, but it will and can hurt you, okay?"

Todd whistled. "Yeah, Prof told me that was the case but thanks for the reminder. Alright, I think I can handle it."

"Remember Toad, your goanna have to try really hard." Kurt said patronizingly. "Sliming them and hopping around might not help that much."

"Thanks Fuzzy, I'll keep that in mind." Todd drawled, shaking his head at Kurt's taunts; maybe he would actually try…

He watched as the room slowly faded to pitch black and until he was the only thing in the room. He blinked and looked around for a minute before a flash filled the room, his vision blurry suddenly.

As it cleared, Todd started and shook his head violently before realizing the simulation had begun.

And he was duly impressed with what he saw.

Floor beneath actually felt wooden and creaked as he walked around a bit. The sun light from out side filtered in through the mucky glass windows and the second level of the building cast a slight shadow over the lower parts, lessening the feeling of heat in the room.

Round table and metal chairs were placed everywhere, although there was no on sitting at them, and the art work that decorated the walls looked like the real deal. The bar glistened with all of the glasses that it had, the small radio playing music in some foreign language that Todd guessed was Italian.

"Hmm, you guys weren't kidding." Todd said as he flicked a menu open and after reading it, he flipped in closed. "Very real and very accurate, yo. But it ain't much of –"

The door to his left burst open and a man walked in a white gi, a red belt wrapped around his waist. He was the opposite build to Todd, made for strength, stuff like punches, grappling, ground kicks and blocking.

As he positioned himself, Todd's mind raced over every starting point that Darius had shown him, hoping he recognized something.

One foot was back out to the side, holding most of the weight, his front leg extended just a little from his body. His hands were held loosely beneath his chest line with his elbows hanging near his ribs and his hand closed, left arm before right.

Todd sighed; it was a traditional fighting stance or "boxing stance" and most styles used in the same fashion with an exception of some exotic style like a few Chinese Kun Fu styles.

Rolling his neck, Todd fell into his own comfortable stance which was similar to the fighting stance but his feet were different. While he opponent had his feet kept slightly together to help him balance, Todd's were wider and he had sunk his hips and knees down. His hand then turned over so the fingers outstretched and the palms faced him.

The man grunted and the two cautiously moved forward, Todd suddenly realizing something as he bumped into a chair and a light kick sent it skidding. The room was bound by the rule of the normal world but lacking the consequences because it was just a holograph, so that meant he could fight full steam and not worry about actually hurting…

Todd smirked, walking forward suddenly much to the surprise of his opponent and the martial artist threw front kick as soon Todd was there. The reaction time Todd had was lethal and his speed mixed with his coordination made his limbs like speeding bullets, the AI system not expecting such a ready fight from the go.

In short, bar Cyclops, the X-Men witnessed a shocking mayhem.

Not even stepping to the side, Todd's foot shot up and down, bringing his leg down on his opponent's fully extended leg. However, Todd's force continued down when the heel touched the ground and the snaps indicated that he had snapped the shin.

Sweeping around and in, the amphibious mutant blocked a punch before ramming his fist in the man's kidney and then cracking his elbow on the holographs jaw, breaking it quickly. The man would and should have fallen but Todd was holding the attacking limb.

The green mutant bent his leg in and kicked the AI's chest without restraint, as he had done to the android. The man flew back and landed against the wall, blood oozing out of his mouth like water from a facet as he had a dent the size of a soccer ball in his chest. The teenager's leg was perfectly straight from the kick and he carefully carried it around and rested it behind him.

Todd took two steps back, in his stance again. After a minute and the man stayed down, he stood and knelt and bowed to his downed opponent. Standing, he looked around and raised his arms.

"Well, is that it, yo?" Todd asked sarcastically. "Maybe next time I won't stretch and hold back."

* * *

Kitty's mouth was covered by her hand, shocked to her core by the ferocity.

Jean's eyes were wide and trying to speak, wordless by the brutality.

Kurt gulped nervously, not expecting what he saw by any means.

"I saw him fight nine people like that except now I can see that he had been hold back. This reading says he had a kicking force of over two tons and his punches over several hundred pounds of pressure." Scott said, his mouth dry and his grip on the sling tight. "He really could have done a lot worse."

"Scott, the AI was a red belt in Shotokan Karate and was in perfect prime health and he just swatted him aside like it was nothing." Jean exclaimed, watching as Todd looked around the simulation. "He's dangerous…"

"Like, hell yeah! He just killed someone with out so much as blinking." Kitty yelled. "And he's goanna be an X-Men? This is insane."

"Jean, why don't we give him more opponents and at higher skill levels? I mean, he didn't even really fight or use his other powers." Scott said, surprising everyone, the visor leader programming the next stage.

"But Scott, Toad just went loco on him!" Kurt said as he walked over. "He didn't show him an inch of mercy."

"If I remember, you told him to try hard and not bother with his slime because you thought he couldn't do it. I think you all need to see Todd and what he's capable when he's really pushed." Scott said firmly, smirking. "Besides, we all did these two levels; he may not pass it, ya know."

* * *

Todd turned around, six men waking in and all dressed in different gi. He knew two were Karate, two were Tae Kwon Doe and two were Wushu. All had their highest rank of their belt systems, Todd now matched with the best of the best.

"Oh…this is interesting…" Todd said, smiling as he took his stance again.

He was genuinely excited because he had a secret advantage. They had one style that they specialized in and had mastered; Todd had learnt several from Darius and then ways to combined and combat them.

His legs spread into a L-shaped stance, with his right leg forward. His right arm bent so his elbow was point at his opponent and his right fist was at his chest. His left hand was curled closed but the palm was pushed forward as he set his sight on his targets, a small smile forming.

Oh this was goanna be interesting indeed.

* * *

Xavier closed his eyes as he focused on the reading that Cerebro had picked up, the pattern very unusual. It was it he could see a shadowy figure and vague power suggestions but nothing specific, not even a name or a face.

Groaning lightly, the old man leaned back and collected his fingers under his chin. This was extremely odd and unsettling as well. It was clear that this mutant was highly experienced and very strong, but then his powers and details should have shown up. He wasn't a psychic, that was clear; his powers were purely related to physical strength and not of the mind.

And for some reason, he felt like he had seen a spider…

It could be he had an accomplice that was hiding the two of them or that he just had naturally powerful defenses. There were humans and mutant that were extraordinary with just the ability to be uncontrollable or found by telepathy due to sheer will.

Xavier looked up at the large map, the signal indicating he had just appeared at the hospital and started moving away. With his current speed and angle of direction, he would end up heading past the forest near the old abandoned wood mill.

A tickling at the back of his mind alerted him that a concern Wolverine was coming, surprising the wheel chair bound professor.

"Logan?" He turned to see the Canadian standing there. "You're meant to be overseeing Mr. Tolansky's training right now."

"Heh, Leapfrog ain't as important as what I just heard." Logan dismissed, Xavier feeling a twinge of annoyance at Logan. "One of the guys that Toad-boy put in the hospital was killed early this morning."

"Killed?"

"Well, people don't randomly get new skeletal injuries and then lit on fire. Plus, a security guard was found as well. This one appeared to have been poisoned by some biological agent."

Xavier frowned, the new information disturbing. This new, obviously powerful and capable, mutant and the death of a known mutant hater were too much of a coincidence.

It was more than very likely this mutant was either a street hoodlum or a witness to Todd's fight with the FOH. He doubted that this was a new recruit of Magneto's but the option was still open.

"Logan, go and gather all the X-Men while I continue to try and get a more accurate reading on where he is." He paused and smiled. "Also, if you would, take Mr. Tolansky with you."

"Huh, why, Chuck? He's never practiced with the team."

"They have to learn to accept him sooner or later…Logan, hurry. Things are about to get very bad in the Danger Room!" Xavier said as he felt the mental spikes from Todd. "One of the older kids activated the mind probe!"

* * *

Todd took slow and even breaths despite his sore knuckles and his bruised side, two men a little more that a foot from him. Tense eyes flickered around, Todd kick a table aside so he could continue moving.

He was down to just three, the last one of the Wushu his right. Todd had been able to take one of each down in the first bout but they had been getting harder and harder to fight until these ones were left. He guessed that the AI system had been learning from him as a real fighter would.

This just made it absolutely–

The Wushu fighter's leg blurred at his face, Todd twisting around the limb and jumping back as the foot came back for a hook kick. Dropping down onto a bent leg and an arm, Todd went to clip the man off the ground but he just jumped up. Not stopping his energy, the green teenager rolled on the ground and then did a handstand flush against the man as he landed.

Both heels caught him squared in the as he snapped them straight up, winding him and more then likely rupturing a lung. As the Wushu fighter fell back on a table, the Tae Kwon Doe fighter kicked his stomach and sent him crashing into a table set.

Standing up in a haze, Todd grunted as the Karate fighter punched him and then gave a spinning back fist that sent him onto the stair case. Todd growled as he stood, rubbing his head to ignore the little specks of blood. The man switched his feet back and forth before he gave a round house kick.

Todd ducked under one and blocked a chop from hitting his face, elbowing down on the shoulder to pop it out of place. The scream was expected but Todd was impressed with the front kick to push him away.

The amphibious mutant smirked as the Karate fighter began his roundhouse kick and Todd gave his at the same time, their shins colliding. Todd's leg stayed up while the man's and his body fell to the floor. Swinging his foot down and behind him, Todd flipped around as well as dropped to the ground; his heel hammered down on the clavicle, going a full three inches into his body to the heart.

Rolling back and flipping onto his hands, Todd launched back in a back flip as the Tae Kwon Doe fighter came flying at him with an aerial spinning back kick. The foot and body went over him and when he landed on his feet, the fighter nailed the back of his head.

Todd stumbled into a roundhouse and just managed to catch a side kick. He jerked the leg forward and then turned into the man's body, dropping the elbow, not on the knee but on the thigh. The muscles in the leg tightened into a Charlie Horse, Todd letting him go to give his own back kick.

Todd's lifted the man off the floor, sent him fifteen feet and through a table leg that was sticking up. The man grimaced but relaxed as his program ended, the Wushu fighter getting up.

Todd ran at him and jumped in the air, his body twisting four perfect rotations. His leg, at the last moment and when he had the most speed, extend out and caught the man on the chin.

The Wushu fighter would have survived if he had seen the kick coming and had enough speed; the man's body was sent flailing to the ground in a spinning mess. Todd landed perfectly, the men fading away.

"Jeez, I think I'm goanna like the work out from this room." Todd said, bowing to show respect. "It's actually a pretty neat place to –"

A foot then caught his jaw and Todd's body was flipped in perfect circle, the green teenager landing on his back. Hissing from the impact and his teeth clacking together, Todd turned to look at his new opponent.

And just stared…

He knew that face, the trim jaw line with the precisely trimmed beard on his line and the goatee under his mustache. The yellow brown eyes that stared piercingly back at him with his short buzzed hair. His dark skin was just darker than a shade of the tanned earth, cool and powerful.

His long sleeved shirt he always had worn was meant to make people underestimate him, since his height was just two inches bigger than Todd. A sleeveless hoodie was over his shirt and half way zipped up. His baggy jeans had tears and holes in them to show their age, his sneaker tightly laced together.

His stance was nearly the same as Todd's but like Todd, had adjusted it to suit his abilities. Instead of having his arms in front of him, one was bent at a ninety degree angle behind his head with the fist pointing to the sky and his other arm was bent across the front of his body.

"Darius?" Todd asked in confusion.

The man made no verbal reply; stepping forward, his leg arched up and around to slam his heel at Todd's head and the green mutant bent his leg to swat it away.

Todd rolled away from a punch that went through the ground and just managed to block the man's blow, Darius staring at him before he began to push him to the side, Todd growling as he held back against his friend and had to put his foot in the ground to stop him.

A hard palm strike to the amphibious mutant's chest sent him back and he had to duck under a spin kick, just barely blocking the following roundhouse kick that followed. The blow came from the other side and Todd managed to dodge it, catching Darius on the cheek with a hook kick.

The blow made him stumble back and he shook his head before going forward again, Todd fighting his rising discomfort of fighting Darius.

This was like a nightmare come to life. He had watched Darius die by the hands of the FOH, two bullet clean through him before another went through his head. He had always been the better fighter, the better free runner, the better acrobat than Todd.

For Christ's sake, he had called the older boy a teacher and a brother!

Todd's dismay allowed Darius to get in past his defenses and slam his fist into the green mutant's stomach, his other elbow nearly cracking the side of his head. Todd banged into the wall and he hissed as a cut on his arm opened slightly more.

He ducked under a punch and went to give a side kick but Darius caught him and threw him. Not like a grappling move, but actually put him five feet in the air and he landed on his back on and through a table. Todd groaned painfully and as his eyes closed, the groan became a growl as he slowly sat up.

Darius stopped advancing and watched the younger man shake his head, cracking his back joints before looking at him.

Todd had allowed a fatal flaw to happen; he allowed believing that Darius was alive. He knew his friend was dead, but the sight and feel of him had made him wish for otherwise and that had nearly cost Todd dearly.

Truthfully, Darius never would have thrown Todd, he never would have gone so hard from the get go and he most certainly wouldn't have stayed quiet. But how had the room made him so accurately?

The AI kicked a piece of table out of his way and in the fraction of three seconds, the green mutant's resolve was solidified as he opened his eyes and turned. The AI punched at him and Todd leapt up with a spin and placed his foot in Darius's diaphragm with a back kick.

The eyes went wide and he slide back, Todd's slight crouched position, almost like he was kneeling, rising to face him.

Todd snapped right in front of the taller man and punched his gut, the man grunting but managed to punch him across the face. The green teenager's face just snapped back, his elbow upper cutting Darius. Slamming his foot on the AI's thigh and jumping off him, Todd twisted around as he lashed his tongue out.

The prehensile appendage wrapped around the AI's neck and as Todd landed, the hologram went up in the air. Swinging him around, the amphibious mutant smashed Darius into a wall and then the roof before dropping him. Todd tensed, knowing Darius and low behold, the AI got up.

The green mutant ran and slide on the ground, faking a kick to his knees to spin around and punch Darius in the face as he jumped up. A punch came and he stepped back, punching the next fist head on. Then, like a snake, he managed to kick up and smash the flat of his foot into Darius's fingers.

His animated friend gasp in pain and Todd kneed him with all the strength he had, his grip on the shirt tearing the fabric as the man went flying up to the second level. He broke the glass railing and the sounds of several chairs and tables breaking. Just as Todd leapt up there to finish the fight, the room dissolved and he was left standing in the bare metal room again.

He panting voice, the thud from his landing, the rustle from his uniform; each sound was like it was on a megaphone, echoing around the room.

The soft sounds of the metal doors sliding open caught his attention but he didn't look at the person standing there. Wiping his brow, his sweat dripped erratically off his arms and face and slide down his chest and legs under his uniform. The sweat hid his few tears, the feeling of worthlessness seeping into his resolve.

"Treefrog, let's go. We got a mission." Logan called, sounding irritated.

Clenching his fist, the amphibious mutant turned to the adult and walked over slowly. Logan furrowed his brow as he noticed the normal ambers of the boy were a much darker gold color with red flecks. He stopped before Logan, his eyes focused on the space aside his instructor.

"What mission, yo?" Todd asked tonelessly.

"One of the guys that you put in the hospital was killed this morning and we may have the mutant." Logan explained simply, noting that the kid didn't need any wisecracks and just gave it as it was. "Xavier specifically asked that you go with the team, Todd."

"Lucky me…" The green teenager said sarcastically as he looked at the instructor. "Which why do I need to go, Logan?"

Logan hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "Go down the left hallway and the fourth door you come across leads into the hanger." Logan directed him as he escorted the boy out of the room. "Get in the co-pilot seat so you can get an idea of how to fly the plane."

"Gotcha…"

Logan watched the green mutant disappear down the corridor, the older kids coming up behind him and the old man didn't even turn to them to illustrate how disappointed he was with them. He sighed heavily and tightened his jaw as he reflected over what he had watched in the final moments of the training session.

"So…which of you decide it was a bright idea to use someone from his past?" Logan asked calmly although the others knew he was furious with them.

"We just thought it would give him a challenge…" Kurt said pathetically, Logan glancing at them in disbelief.

"But Logan, he cut though those simulators like paper." Jean protested. "I just felt that he would….need a better challenge."

"Jean, as good a psychic you are, you can't lie worth a shit; you're the only one who knows how to operate that thing so well." Logan spat, turning to them so they could see his disgust. "I don't seem to remember but did any of you go through that kind of training examination on your first day?"

"Logan, he practically killed eight people." Kitty said in disbelief. "He didn't even seemed that fazed by doing that either!"

"He was out of control, we needed to do something." Jean defended herself.

"You guys are unbelievable…He can do that because he has control. Jean, you're going to be held responsible for this and the rest of you will be punished for not sticking up for your new teammate. You will be speaking with me and Xavier after this." The immortal Canadian shook his head in disbelief and disgust. "Get the rest of the team, we have a job from Xavier. Todd will be taking Scott's place."

There where no complaints or arguments this time.

* * *

Arachnar let his gaze follow the black jet as he perched himself on a branch near the Bayville Woodmill, the abandoned build a beautiful dank and shadowed enclosure. He let his long and sunken face twist wickedly in a smile, his gangly long finger grasping his coat as he cast it from his body. His tongue ran over his teeth…and then over his external fangs.

His long slender body flexed under the sleeveless hoodie that he decided to wear and steam of substance shot out and snared his jacket. Launching his body from the tree, Arachnar cleared fifteen meter before landing on another branch and repeating his action.

This was his stalking grounds, a place in the local area he knew well enough to ambush these kids and use them to draw out the kid he wanted.

* * *

Todd slowly let his seat arm go, groggily standing up with the rest of the X-Men and filing out as the last of the team from the team. He never really like flying; it wasn't something that he had ever been introduced to when he was young but it did look cool as long as the environment was safe and the flying teacher wasn't crazy.

And while Wolverine obviously had a wealth of knowledge and experience in many fields, he never wanted to learn how to fly from someone like him. It wasn't reassuring since he was able to surviving anything and nobody else was able to.

Hopping over from the team slightly, Todd looked towards the old building and the surrounding area. The old mill was surrounded by young trees that had replaced the fallen ones that had been here and this time of year had the largest leaves, the branches filled with them to give an eerie glow of sunlight to the ground.

Dark, crowded and unpredictable.

Perfect hunting grounds…

The amphibious mutant crouched by a tree and looked intently at the building. It was three stories tall, the door chained shut and the windows broken by local kids who like to pitch rocks at it. The massive building reeked with foul smell, one that even Todd couldn't beat. The reason for its closure and abandonment was a rather gruesome and morbid story, one that a goth like Wanda would have loved as a bed time story.

About fifteen to twenty years ago, the woodmill had about a hundred or so workers on staff daily and were renowned for making some of the finest furniture and ornaments in New York. They were being accused of running drugs into New York and Bayville with their furniture but they were never charged. This was because one day a massive and heavy fog rolled into the area and then a explosion came from the location, police rushing to the mill.

What they found was a massacre. Every single worker had been gruesomely killed, almost by a wild animal, and it had been labeled as the largest and the greatest unsolved murder case of Bayville. It was something that he had learned on the streets and in school, as well as to avoid this place at all costs.

But he couldn't. Because of his new teammates, they had to be at the one place where so much blood had been spilt.

Todd glanced at the X-Men, Wolverine talking to the other teenagers, briefing them was the amphibian's guess, and then pairing them into partners. As they filed out into different directions, the green teenager guessed that this was a tracking strategy. The team slowly disappeared until it was just Jean and Logan left.

Todd stood as the two senior members came to him, giving one last look at the old deserted building and then turned back to his two leaders.

"So, what am I doing?" Todd asked curiously, rolling his neck.

He figured that he was going to be guarding the jet or providing backup to one of the smaller teams. It made sense for him to be one of those positions since it would allow him to observe how the team worked and if they needed his help, he was fast enough to get there.

"You and Jean are goanna be staying here and clear this house." Logan said as he nodded to the house before he pointed off at a sixty degree angle. "I'm goanna follow the strongest scent path I got right now."

Todd was taken back by this and looked between the two. He was getting thrown in the deep end today, no chance for rookies and little mess ups. The amphibious mutant rubbed the back of his head and looked at the house again briefly. First the Danger Room and now in the field, everyone wanted him to screw up and make him quit.

"Logan-"

"Field names, kid." Logan corrected with a chuckle.

"Wolverine, right…uh, you sure about this? I mean, this is my first mission and all with you guys as a team, yo." Todd asked concernedly. "Shouldn't you want me to watch ya'll first before helping you?"

Wolverine gave him a contemplating look before laughing at Todd, shaking his head. Todd glanced at Jean but returned to the immortal mutant who sighed.

"Considering how well you took that screw up in the Danger Room and the fact that you saved these kids leader, I think you're more than adequate to be in the field." Wolverine said before turning around and leaving the two teenagers standing there.

Todd was taken back by the confidence that the older man had in him and slowly smiled, looking at Jean before they both began walking to the building.

His amber eyes scanned the building intently, Jean glancing at him as he scouted at each window. The psychic could feel a pit in her stomach since she was the reason that Todd had to go against his dear friend in the Danger Room simulation, now feeling horrible with herself after seeing him react to the holographic image he had to fight.

She became aware of the door being right in front of them when Todd rattled the chain that held it closed. She held her hand out to start work on unlocking the padlock that kept the chains closed, he eyes narrowing as she worked her telekinesis when Todd moved in a blur.

He shot his leg up and brought his foot down on the chain with all his strength, links snapping. The green mutant then spun and kicked the door, both door slamming open and then falling in on top of on another while Todd stood with one leg raised.

"Knock, knock?" Todd asked in amusement, Jean shaking her head. "I guess we let ourselves in, yo."

Jean shrugged and followed him in, the two stopping once they crossed the threshold. Todd gave a choked cough as he covered his face before he walked further into the place.

The large double doors had led them into the hall were most of the pieces were assembled and the smell that reeked from the place was enough to tell him what it was. Dust caked everything, the windows completely covered in a silt of some sort. Todd looked back and smiled.

"Hey, this dust is goanna help us big time, Jean. Whoever's been here is goanna have to have left tracks, yo." Todd said and then noticed Jean wasn't with him. "Jean? What's wrong with…"

He stopped when he saw that she was still standing in the door way, looking horrified as she looked everywhere. He leapt backwards and landed lightly by her, touching her arm. The red head gasped and leapt away, shaking as she looked around the room; she could feel it, the pain and the agony that had been imprinted on the place.

It was stained in blood.

"What happened here?" She asked hushed, Todd sighing.

"It happened about twenty years ago…when someone or something came to Bayville." Todd said, slowly beginning to recite the tale he had been told.

* * *

Arachnar gazed at the two mutants that stood at the entrance to the, his body hunched over on a rafter. His dark eyes gleamed as the girl had the buildings history explained to her by her partner, the hidden mutant chuckling lightly.

He always loved to hear his story told over and over.

Lifted his hooded head up and looking out a hole in the wall, Arachnar could not believe his luck. The rest of the team was steadily moving out after finding his coat and other decoys, his multiple scent trails even making the mighty Wolverine have second guesses about where he really was. That made this easier.

The only thing was his target. Creation had reported to him and said that the mutant had been an exceptional fighter according to the CPU that he had recovered from the android, matching the machine for reflexes and surpassing it in strength. And the android had been tested for lifting several hundred pounds.

Arachnar grinned wickedly; he loved a good fight.

He wasn't sure if he was excited at the prospect of the possibly exhilarating fight that he was going to get or if he was worried about the fight being too long.

Creeping from the rafter and onto the ceiling, Arachnar made his way to his ambush point and prepared himself to separate the two mutants.

* * *

The two X-Men walked together through the mill, Todd on point while Jean scanned the area. The amphibious mutant felt a tingle but couldn't place it; he knew someone was here besides him and Jean, but his opponent's stealth was almost on par with his and Wolverine's.

"He's here." Todd said quietly, his ambers eyes nearly giving an ethereal glow off as he looked back at Jean.

She nodded, sensing something but it was scary. She only got a hollow and vague feeling from this mutant, creeping around like a spider. She had the most terrifying suspicion about this and her guess was right, then it could be deadly for the two of them.

They reached another set of doors and Jean used the telekinesis to open the doors, Todd chuckling at her. She shook her head at his childish behavior but it did help the mood, the two teens making their way through the mill and suddenly Todd stopped.

Jean glanced at him as she walked past but then he grabbed her arm. She was about to say something when he clamped his hand over hers and pressed a finger to his lips.

_Look up and listen carefully, someone's walking around up there_ Todd said mentally to her, the red head.

Jean looked up and saw that the dust was falling down, in a distinct path way as someone or something walked around above them. _How did you know that?_

"Its live or die on the streets of New York, Jean." Todd whispered, shrugging. "I chose to pay attention and keep my ass alive."

_So what should we do then? I can't get a scan on whoever is above us_ Jean said, looking around.

Todd joined her search and as they rounded a corner, Todd saw a staircase but the whole set up didn't feel right. It was too easy, too simple. This guy was arranging everything far too neatly to not know what he was doing, to be acting sporadically. No, he knew what he was doing and he was good at it.

He watched as Jean carefully advanced, his amber eyes studying the previous floor before he began to slowly walk up the stairs. He watched as Jean began her walk to the left but a scuttling sound came from his right.

Tense, Todd watched as his partner began to check the rooms on her side and so the amphibious mutant began to quietly walk down the right side of the hallway.

* * *

Jean carefully opened the doors and she could feel Todd slowly move down the opposite way, not that worried at being on her own. She had been an X-Man for nearly four years now, so next to Scott she was the highest ranking X-Man and knew her training would be more than adequate to take of anyone that came her way.

She opened a door with her telekinesis and scanned the room thoroughly, wondering what the verdict would be on Todd. Ever since Spyke had quit the team and left, there had always been an opening on the main team for someone. But should Todd join the main team?

Since she was the second in command, she and Scott had to give there say of whether they wanted him on their team or not. If he wasn't on the X-Men team, then he would be on the New Mutants team and then it would be up to Bobby and Ray. She opened another door and scanned it before moving on.

There was the question of whether or not he should even be allowed to go on missions or even join a team. The readout from the fight was insane; the one mutant everyone had considered to be weak or a drop out had scored some of the highest numbers in impact and speed for his fight simulations records. He had literally breezed through the fights like he had been born to fight like that.

Maybe he was too violent to join the team, although Wolverine himself wasn't that restrained at times but at least he was old enough to accept his responsibilities. Not to mention there was still the question of whether he was really joining them for his own reason or if he was sent in to be a mole.

Jean slammed a door off its hinges, the debris in there sent flying as the door embedded itself in the wall. Then there were all her personal reasons for disliking him and they were reasonable. He was unhygienic, he was a slacker, he stole for his own personal gain, he had been her enemy for several years and he had attacked several friends of hers rather viciously.

She sighed, the psychic opening the door a little more gently this time and she checked the room. Jean was just going to have to wait and see how long it took Toad to mess up enough to get kicked out. He was already on some people's short list because of something he had done, so she guessed it would only be a matter of time before-

A figure suddenly scurried across the floor and Jean's eyes narrowed in on the target, slamming him against the wall. She then pulled him over to the light so she could see him and was startled.

It was a teenager, around seventeen or eighteen but still a teenager, curled up in a ball as he looked terrified at the sight of Jean. His scraggly hair and hood hid his face and he scampered back against the wall.

"No! Pleassse don't hurt me!" He wailed as he held his hands out, a slight lisp pulling at his S's. "I didn't do anything bad!"

Jean immediately felt a ball of guilt rise up inside of her for attacking this kid, not sensing a violent vibe in his body. _Todd, it was just a runaway hiding here_, she said to her partner and approached the boy.

"It's okay, we're not goanna hurt you." Jean said, his face lifting up to hers.

"My dad told me that…..then he broke my ribs." The boy sobbed, Jean recoiling from the bitterness in his voice.

She now felt horrible for attacking the kid, giving him even more abuse that he had already suffered. Reaching out, she gently held his arms and tried to send reassuring thoughts to him but for some reason she couldn't reach him. It was fuzzy and patchy, like a really bad reception.

Probably from a large amount of trauma, Jean guessed and at the sound of footsteps she turned to see Toad standing in the doorway. He looked concernedly at her and she shook her head, turning back to the kid.

The boy suddenly grabbed her arms and lunged forward, his mouth opening wide, two mandibles unfolding from the corners of his jaw. Two fangs that extended from his upper jaw and suddenly sharp, shooting pain stabbed through Jean left shoulder.

Her scream was long and lengthy, the area she was bitten in becoming scalding hot and making her shoulder and neck throb. The force of his attack sent them both out of room and against the wall, his hands and feet sticking to the wall like a gecko.

He let her go, her body falling limply to the floor and she was able to see Toad rushing to help her. Suddenly, something long, hairy and thick swatted him with enough strength to send him down the hallway, through the rotting walls and into the hall.

"Hmmm, thanksss for makiiiing thisss sssooo eassy." The teenager said, hauling her up and carrying her to edge of the hole at the end of the hallway. "I'll be baaack for youuu."

He made a gagging sound and a spray of sticky strands wrapped around her and held her to the floor, her world spinning as tried to look around. Everything was blurred and changing colors, her body feeling heavy and numb from his bite.

Mandibles….Clinging to walls….silky strands….

Jean ragged gasp showed her surprise, her chest and throat burning while it felt like her lungs were clogged. She had been poisoned because….

….because the bastard was a spider mutant.

* * *

Todd's body flew through the rotting wood from the haymaker, his head ringing as he rose up and looked to the hole that he just made. A thud followed, telling him his attacker had followed him.

This was becoming a habit of his fights.

There stood a guy but he didn't look that much older than Todd, maybe around twenty five at the oldest. He was cut too; his arms ripped from what Todd guessed should have been his working out constantly for the last six years and the confidence that he held his body with was sign that he trusted his skills.

He was wearing a hoodie but his gangly hair obscured his face except for the mouth that the mandibles that he bit Jean with. His pants looks like cargos but Todd would have guess that they could have been military issued, his boots unlike any Todd had been kicked with before.

"Okay, I guess this means I get to kick your ass now, yo." Todd quipped, smirking as he spread his legs and raised his arms.

"Oh, you knowww how to fiiiight? Goood." His voice was like sandpaper and he walked forward. "I shall enjoy thissss greatly, boy."

Todd blinked as four large black object unfolded from behind this man and felt his jaw drop as he saw what was attached to his back.

Four long brown legs that belonged to a spider stretched out and hovered above the ground from behind this man, his twisted smile broadening even further. Todd frowned, twisting his arms out a little more and spacing his feet out so he could get lower to the ground.

"That's…different." Todd said after a moment.

The man just shrugged and then his front left leg swatted a table at the green mutant, his arachnid legs folding back and his opponent slipped in his own stance. Todd lifted his leg straight up, his heel cutting the table perfectly in half.

As the wood fell, Todd bent his legs and leapt from the ground to a table. The spider man lashed at him with one leg and Todd just dodged it, sliding under the limb to the ground. A foot flew at his face while another spider appendage came at his torso, the green teenager twisting with them and hiss as the claw on the end of the appendage cut his back.

Dropping down, Todd lunged forward with a sweeping kick and as the legs lifted the man's body up, the amphibious mutant landed a hook punch to his opponent's gut before flipping back. He took a breath, eyeing this spider mutant warily as he wiped his mouth from the blood from where Todd's foot caught him.

"Hmm, you draw blood with your fiiirsst attack." The man looked up and smiled, rolling his shoulders back to crack them. "Toooo lonnng hass it been siinnncce someonnne has done thissss. For thisss, you shall know my name."

Todd stepped back and bowed respectfully, recognizing the other martial artist. He smiled as the gesture was returned. "I'm Todd Tolansky, but round here, I'm known as Toad."

The man raised a brow and lifted his hoodie and his multiple pupils all focused on Todd, the black marble focused on him intently. The amphibious mutant suddenly realized why he had been able to block and attack him so well in the dark, because he had an advantage. He tucked that information away for later.

The spider legged man lowered himself to his face, his mandibles clicking lightly. "My naaame issss Preston Gallagher, but to thosssse I work for and ttttthat I kill, I am Arachnar."

"Arachnar, huh? Damn, that sounds a lot cooler that Toad, yo." The teenager said, tensing up as the spider mutant stretched its legs out. "How long do I have before that poison can't be cured?"

He could see that Jean was having trouble breathing, whatever she had been injected with was either fast acting or just agonizingly painful. He was hopefully going for the latter but he had to be prepared for the worst. The spider mutant scoffed at the amphibious mutant and looked back at the red head.

As tempted as Toad was to attack his enemy while he was distracted, he knew that the man was no fool when it came to fighting. The scars that lined his body, the way his muscles tensed and released; the man had been bred to fight.

"Hmmm, a gooood quessstion. Onnn a average, I would sayyy…….threee hourrsss." The arachnid mutant said, a hiss rising from inside his mouth.

Toad lowered his head and shifted back into a more aggressive stance, narrowing and focusing on his target. Arachnar grinned viciously and cracked his hands, shoulder and his spider legs, the four larger limbs hanging over his body like a shroud. The amphibious mutant knew that he was a serious disadvantage and that speed was going to have to be his best alternative here.

Stepping forward, Todd ducked under a sweeping leg and then blocked another that speared at him by grabbing it, sliding back to the limbs full extension. Flipping back from a slash, Todd shot forward at the man's midsection and nearly punched the man. And he would have, had he not been swatted aside by one of the legs.

The teenager went crashing through tables and then slammed against a metal support pillar. Groggily getting up, Todd grabbed the beam and rolled up onto the metal as two legs tried to spear him.

Arachnar snarled and swiped at him, the teenager flipping over him. The green mutant then jumped between two legs and caught the man with a snap kick to the jaw, his body stopped from hitting the floor by his extra legs. Todd slid under him, the older man blocking his kicking leg and standing up with the extension of his other legs while holding onto Toad's leg.

Todd felt his world jerk and then the man threw him, the amphibious mutant's leg hooking on a chain. Hanging there for a minute, Todd watched as Arachnar rubbed his jaw and gave Todd a dark look.

"Weeeere I not a muuutant, thattt would havvve broken myyy jaw." He hissed as he walked towards Todd.

Pulling himself up, Todd undid his foot and dropped down. "Oh, and like the felt pipes are fair?"

Arachnar twitched violently and charged the boy, Todd side stepping his first attack. Ducking under another swipe from the spider legs, the green teenager slammed his foot on the corner edge of a table and flipped it over between the two of them.

Out of instinct, Arachnar used his four extra limbs to stop the piece of furniture, the four legs spearing the four corners clean through the wood. The whole thing stopped maybe a foot and a half in front of Arachnar.

A big mistake.

Todd exploded through the wood landed a kick right the man's midsection, winding him and then proceeding to slam his fist against the man's head while giving snap kicks to his ribs. Arachnar ducked under a punch and then blocked a kick with his knee, giving an upper cut to Todd's chest.

Twisting and flipping, Todd spun a full three hundred and sixty degrees and then flipped forward, bring the flat of his foot down on Arachnar's head. Todd landed on his back while Arachnar dropped down to one knee. His spider legs suddenly tore open the table and came crashing down on Todd.

Rolling to the side, Todd dodged two of the legs and then kicked away the next one before rolling up onto his feet. The spider mutant swept around and the legs swept at Toad like a moving wall. The amphibious mutant twisted himself around and jumped through a gap between the legs, rolling up from the ground to get whipped by the one leg that had been tucked against Arachnar's chest.

Todd stumbled against a table and dropped onto his knees as one legs swiped at him, jumping under the table and out the other side as the spider stabbed the ground where he had been. Rolling to his side, Todd saw two chisels laying on the ground and grabbed them as his ankle was snared.

After being pulled into the air, Todd twisted around and pulled himself up, stabbing the arachnid leg. Arachnar screamed and threw him aside, curling his wounded leg near his chest. Todd twisted in the air, the impact on the wall shaking the floor boards at he crouched to lessen the impact.

The multiple eyes of the spider mutant snapped up at the amber eyes of the amphibious mutant, the tension and anger between the two of them making the air between them shimmer.

Todd dropped down to the floor and slammed his foot against a table, sending it skidding towards Arachnar, and then kicked another up right. The older man blocked the first one but then blanched as Todd kicked the other table in the air and it fell at him. His remaining two good legs snared the table, catching sight of Todd racing at him. Arachnar heaved the table at Todd with surprising speed and accuracy, catching the green mutant off guard.

Jumping up, Todd gave the table a quick spinning back kick and realized his foolishness. Because right above him was Arachnar, slamming his knee down on the green teenager's back and slashing his left side open.

Landing so hard that he cracked the floorboards, Todd wheezed as he lay there and suddenly realized that Arachnar hadn't followed him. Looking up, he saw the two inner spider legs arched over his shoulders but the outer ones were bent back and pressed together.

Forcing himself to get up, he ducked under the initial strike aimed at his head but was caught with a kick to his stomach. Staggering back, Todd screamed as one of the legs rammed him against the wall and then whaled him in the side of the head. Falling and rolling across the floor, Todd knew that he was going to die if he didn't try to even up the odds in this fight.

The extra legs gave the spider mutant a severe advantage that would kill the amphibious mutant if he wasn't careful. Scrambling to his feet and spinning back to face his opponent, Todd kicked aside two legs with moderate success and then flipped around another leg that was coming at his back.

Landing on a table, Todd ran across several others in an attempt to put more space between him and the monster follow. Todd glanced back in time to see Arachnar leap at him and he jumped to the side, twist to kick the man aside with a kick to his ribs that sent into a table.

Landing on his feet, Todd slipped back into a room as Archanar untangled himself and quickly looked about the room for anything. It was the power room and the former tools room but all the power tools had been taken with the workers when they left. Pulling the drawers out, Todd furiously looked for something that might help and froze when he heard Arachnar finally start looking for him.

His mind switching to escape plan, Todd ran over a wall and saw a grate that covered a hole in the wall. Grabbing the metal, the amphibious mutant kicked off the wall and pulled the bolts that held it in out. Slipping through the hole, Todd watched as Arachnar began to throw tables and other object around to try and find him.

"Ifff you think you caaan hide, you areee misssstaken. I know thisssss place, I wasss the oneee who killed eveyoneee sixxxteeeen years agooo." Arachnar sneered, Todd freezing as heard this. "Youu'reeee no matchhhh for meeee."

Todd glanced around and carefully climbed out of the vent, listening to the thumping of the long legs that Arachnar possessed. He now had two problems; a poisoned Jean and a highly capable killer hunting him. But why was this guy after the X-Men?

"So, what's you beef with the X-Men, yo?" Todd called out, quickly moving across the room and ducking behind a table.

"X-Men?" The man said with a pause and Todd looked up in time to see a table thrown at him. "Weee, don'tttt givee a fuck abooout theemmm. We caammme for youuu."

Todd slowly stood up, the man's words throwing him for a loop. After him? But he didn't even know who these fuckers were! He was shaken from his thoughts as Arachnar lunged at him again.

The amphibious mutant flipped back to avoid a powerful leg slamming down where he was, sliding back as the other three extra appendages consecutively tried to rip a hole through his chest. After the fourth hit the ground, Arachnar used his limbs to swing his body around and kick Todd through a beam.

Todd gasped as his body bounced off the wall and kicked an incoming arachnid appendage aside. Ducking away from another and blocking another with his forearms, Todd rolled behind Arachnar and wrapped his tongue around the man's human legs. With a swift jerk and side step, Arachnar was airborne.

Spinning the man around like a top, Todd brought his head down and the spider mutant crashed down so hard that the intact tables and the pieces of the destroyed ones all jumped.

As he released the man, his tongue wasn't even in his mouth before he was clocked in the side of the head by one of the arachnid legs. Stars flying in his vision with the rest of the room, Todd crash on top of a table with a storm of curses. As he rolled off the table, he watched in utter annoyance that Arachnar flipped up so spryly.

The room was filled with wood dust and other crap that the fight had been stirring up, the two glaring at each other as they maneuvered around in the hazy environment. Todd's face was sporting a split lip and swollen cheek while one of Arachnar's mandibles was snapped and his brow was bleeding persistently.

As they walk extremely carefully, so they didn't tip each other off about their next move, Todd was carefully analyzing the arachnid legs. They were divide up into three sections it seemed, each leg segment intersecting with the next one. And they were strong, probably just as fast knowing Todd's luck.

The former Brotherhood member had to disable the spider legs or maybe even his human legs. He had to somehow level out the playing field because he could only do so much and he was pressed for time at the moment.

His planning was stopped short when a stream of thread flew at him and he rolled to the side to avoid the silky thread. He watched at Arachnar grounded his teeth to snap the threads and his legs flexed in annoyance, his multi eyes tracing him intently. Todd needed a diversion first in order to get in close enough to hit him.

He then noticed the gleam of light from a smudged widow, his eyes glancing around the ceiling.

Todd's attention snapped back to the sound of Arachnar's spider legs racing towards him, leaping back from one as it slammed down where he was and caught another before it rammed him through. He tried to spin to the side but another leg smashed his leg out from under him and then grabbed him.

Todd felt his body flail as he soared through the air, crashing in the hallway where Jean was. Pushing himself up, Todd could feel the blood pouring from his lips and shoulders but he still moved forward. He saw that Jean was looking worse, the area where she was bitten going green and her veins showing.

"Jean….hey, redheaded mistress!" Todd said, the girl dazedly looking at him. "You gotta hang in there a little longer. I think I have plan to kick this guy's ass."

* * *

Jean watched as he hopped from the hole and ran to engage the man again, picking up little snippets of thoughts. It hurt to think, though, and she just wanted to sleep.

Sleep forever…

That sounded nice….

She saw a set of eyes….with multiple pupils.

A surge filled Jean's body, the snippets in Toad's mind suddenly making sense as everything fell into place. Toad's fight had been one sided but he had also been able analyze his opponent while he was losing, allowing his mind to focus into a plan.

She looked to the roof, at the twinkling sunlight begging to come in. Now she had to really focus.

* * *

Todd kicked a leg aside and then kicked at his side, stopping his leg in time to avoid another arachnid leg. Bending it in as he swung past, he extended it at the last second and his foot made contact with the man's face.

As the stepped back from the bow, Todd spun with the kick's force and his other leg shot up in a back, aimed right at Arachnar's chest. The insect's legs crossed to block it, the man sliding through three tables as he took the brunt of the blow. Todd raced after him, sweeping at his legs but he leapt and used his other legs to suspend himself off the ground.

Growling in annoyance, Todd kicked off one of the tables and threw his knee at the man, blocked again by the legs. This time, Todd wrapped his tongue around the man's extra limbs and flipped over them. The spider man's eyes went wide as he watched the teenager unfold and slam his heel on Arachnar's head.

The legs jerked him aside and Todd spun off to the side as Arachnar held his head, cursing a storm, the green teenager wiping the blood from his cheek and lips. This was beginning to look impossible for him and even if he tried to run with Jean, the bastard would be able to catch up with him.

Arachnar leapt at the boy and Todd ducked under his attack but a clawed leg caught his ankle and smashed him on the ground with earth-shattering force. Todd clutched his head as he was lifted up again and he snarled as he came face to face with the man.

Suddenly the window above, exploded. It just erupted into a shower of glass shards that rained down on them and sunlight filled the room. Arachnar flinched and shut his eyes while backing out of the pool of light, Todd taking the opportunity to slam his fist in the spider's face.

As Todd fell down, the windows that covered the ceiling shattered and the ones on the sides blew in as well. As each shard of glass fell on the floor, light was also being reflected everywhere and the world was just dazzling.

Todd shielded his eyes for a moment but he soon adjusted to the new level of light and was able to see Archanar, who hadn't.

He had his hands covering his eyes and he groaning and yelling as he stumbled about the room in a blind rage. His spare legs flailed around in the bright light and he slipped on a stray piece of glass, his other limb barely catching him.

"This would be your worst weakness, your eyes, yo." Todd said slowly as he quiet creeped around the man, who swung blindly. "A spider has such sensitive eyes that bright sunlight hurts their eyes and so they seek the dark and shaded area. A toad like me doesn't have such a weakness."

"Fuck you!" Arachnar screamed as he lunged near where Todd was.

He didn't even have to side step, turning to the side and snapping a kick to the man's face. Arachnar stopped dead and landed on his back, scrambling to get back on his feet. As he got to his knees, he also had been cutting his hands on the shard of glass and so he had to slow down a bit.

Todd wasn't going to give him any luxuries.

Grabbing him by his hoodie and hefting him up, Todd kneed the man in the stomach repeated with each leg. Arachnar managed to get his forearms in the way of the knees but with Todd's super strong legs, it barely helped. Stepping back and spinning the pair of them around, the amphibious mutant sent four snap kicks to the man's side before booting back against a table.,

Arachnar swung one of his legs at Todd but he off target again and Todd was able to stop the limb. Spinning to the outside of the limb and grabbing it with both hands, Todd used his powerful back as a brace to break the limb

Arachnar's screams echoed through the building, his top right arachnid limb hang limply as he shaved Todd away. The green teenager let himself go forward and kicked off a table, flipping over the spider man. As he landed, he also pivoted on his right toes and smashed his heel into the knees of Arachnar.

The man collapsed and Todd dropped his elbow on the man's head, knocking him flat on his back. Todd stared at the spider man for a minute before looking back at Jean and began to walk away when Arachnar laughed.

"You thiiiiink… you wooon? You'rrrre foooolish boy….." He slurred as he shakily stood up. "Thereeee are more of usss and we'lll come for youuuu and all the X'ssss, nowwww thhhhat you ressssited. Thhey mussst sufffer tooo nowwww...hahaha..."

As the man's continued laughing, Todd's anger built and when the spider man was standing, he bolted at him. Jumping and spinning around, Todd slammed his foot against Arachnar in a spinning back kick that just sent him sliding in the glass. The spider shakily stood, glass suck in all his legs and back and he slipped on some more glass to fall onto his ass.

Todd hopped on top of a table and then jumped up to the ceiling, grabbing the metal frame for the windows as he aimed himself. He didn't care about cutting his hand nor the glass that stayed in his hand as he flew, Todd just cared about making this man stay down.

* * *

Arachnar felt lightheaded and it was painful to move most of his eight limbs. The light completely flooded his vision, only vague bark splotches in his vision that alleviated the drowning light.

The boy had beaten him, even though he was against a superior mutant and in unfamiliar surroundings. He had adapted and analyzed his opponent with impressive talents. As he thought about it, he wasn't angry that the kid beat him.

He was angry at underestimating him.

Suddenly, a shadowed figure began to slowly descend to him, long wisps of darkness extending out from the back. Arachnar gasped, his eyes widening as he thoguth it was angel coming to rescue him.

"Heh...that boy..." Arachnar breathed lightly, his maddening grin spreading over his face. "He wwwon't know what hiiiit him..."

* * *

Todd landed on the man with both feet slamming on his chest, the ground giving way under the massive impact. Nothing matter to the amphibious mutant, even as they landed in a pool of wood oil, water, tree sap and sludge left behind by the woodsmen and sank waist deep in the god awful water.

Grabbing the man by the neck, Todd slammed his fist against the man's face repeatedly and just continued on beating him. He didn't care how long it took or what happened but he was going to make damn sure that this man never came to the X-Mansion or drew the X-Men out again.

"Don't you ever come near the X-Mansion again!" Todd screamed as he hooked the man and dragged him back over.

No matter how many times it took him to punch the man, even he passed out or broke every bone in his body. He didn't care if he ruptured any internal organs in this man or if his gave him a massive concussion.

He didn't care. He was going to make sure that the man was terrified to see him again. As his fist came down for the two hundred and sixty fifth time, he felt something stop him.

Looking up, he felt something calm inside of him and his breathing slowly calmed down as he saw Wolverine standing there. He gave the green teenager a sympathetic look, one of understanding. He then gently lifted the boy out of the filthy water and sat him on the edge of the hole, since his arms and legs were so tired.

"It's okay, swamp boy. You did good." Logan assured him, the amphibious looking at the hole in the side of the building. "We got Jean on the jet and Kurt's goanna get spider boy there. You did well, kid. You held him off long enough."

Todd weakly smiled and leaned forward on his thighs, his hands, legs, back and head throbbing as the adrenaline and endorphins began to wear off. Todd vaguely felt three digits grabbing his arms and being jerk in the air before he appeared in the X-Jet again, his already disorientated mind getting even more jumbled up.

Looking to his right he saw that he was right next Jean, who was strapped down to a med stretcher and bandaged up but still conscious. Groggily smiling and chuckling, Todd reached over and patted her arm.

"Nice work, partner." Todd said woozily, Jean smiling weakly. "I'll talk to you when I wake up, yo."

Todd then let himself slide out of consciousness and blissfully accepted unconsciousness.

Kay, just like last time. I've got another chapter following this one so keep an eye out for it. Review please and I'll see ya'll later.

-Lin


	2. Arachnophobia: Part 2

Here is the second part to Arachnophobia, concluding the events of the story….well, at least for now. I think that this chapter will open up some interesting doors for the series of stories I have planned.

* * *

**Arachnophobia**

Jean felt like she was floating, her head all fuzzy with cotton like thoughts bouncing around in her head. It was actually very comfortable and relaxing, she almost wished that she could stay in the soft world forever. Jean had never felt happier in such a state of mind; well, except for when….

She squeezed her eyes. Wait, where was Scott? She needed him, need his touch and his kiss. She wanted to hear the sweet words he only spoke to her.

Where was he?

Her whole world then shook abruptly. "Hey, sleepy head, time to wake up." The voice was far away but it was getting closer. "Come on, partner. Open them little peepers, yo."

She frowned lightly and cracked her eyes open, the bright light above her shinning down through the cracks of her eyelashes. She slowly opened her eyes, so her eye could adjust to the light that the overhead lights were giving. Something was stuck to the side of her neck and she could feel it pulling at the small hairs on her neck, her arms too heavy to reach up to it.

She grunted as she tried to sit up but a gentle hand rested on her forearm and she was surprised when she saw the green skin pigment.

"Hey, hey, you gotta take it easy for a while, yo. You haven't got my pain tolerance yet." The voice said again, Jean looking over and surprised to see Todd standing by her. "Morning, red mistress."

"Hey, Todd." Her voice was weak but she could still speak at least. "How long you been here?"

"Oh, I just got here." Todd said, gesturing to the bandages on his face and other parts of his body. "I was bit beat up myself, ya know, yo."

His face was swollen on the left side and little bandages held together the long gash that the claws had managed to cut on him. He was dressed in hospital pants and bare-chested because of the small bandages that covered his torso and back, his left hand holding an ice pack to his ribs.

Todd was littered with bruises and little nicks, his knuckles pretty badly torn up from the punching and she suspected that his shins were excessively bruised. She watched as he carefully pulled a chair over and sat gently and slowly down, sighing as he relaxed into the chair.

"How did you guys cure the poison?" She managed to get out and Todd sighed.

"We dragged the spider-boy back here and Hank managed to suck a cure from him." Todd said as he picked at some of the bandage on his chest. "You were lucky; his venom has to be one of the deadliest poisons around, yo."

"He's still here?" Jean asked in a panic and Todd waved her down.

"Logan's got him in one of the interrogation rooms, yo." He assured her, Jean calming down a bit. "Anyway, I severely doubt that is going to be coming after you anytime soon."

Smiling, she couldn't help but doubt the words he spoke. She was still shaken from the near death experience that she had suffered at the hands of their attacker and the fact that he had poisoned her…

She shuddered at the thought that without Todd's quick thinking and tenacity she would have died extremely painfully, his powerful fighting skills what they needed against that monster. She gave him an extremely shy look and bit her lips, feeling ashamed about the Danger Room incident and what she had said about him.

"_But Logan, he cut though those simulators like paper." Jean protested. "I just felt that he would….need a better challenge."_

"_He was out of control, we needed to do something." Jean defended herself._

"Thanks, Todd." She said suddenly, Todd looking at her in confusion. "For watching out for me and taking care of me, thank you."

"Eh, no worries, Jeanie. We're a team, what else was I goanna do, yo?" He asked with a chuckle as he went back to tending with his icepack.

She watched as he gently rubbed the frozen package over his stomach and on his lower back, her green eyes leaving his nearly equally green body. Jean had never felt so low in her life; she had deliberately used the Danger Room's probe to find his greatest weakness and he saved her using the same skills that she was afraid of.

Jean didn't understand why he was so willing to risk his life and limb for her. Could he have really adjusted to being an X-Men that quickly or was he just doing this as a farce? He had been the longest running member of the Brotherhood and he then just upped and decided to join the X-Men, but why?

The question was something that really challenged the basis of all her beliefs because he just seemed to be so much more than what he appeared as.

"Todd, I…" He looked up at her curiously and they both jumped when the door slid open.

"Greenie!" Todd suddenly look terrified when he saw the very annoyed face of Tabitha glaring at him. "Why is it you always get your ass kicked?"

"Excuse me? I whopped his ass, yo." Todd defended, the explosive mutant giving him a testy look.

"Oh really?" She then rested a finger on Todd's chest and he began to squirm under the contact. "I think this count's as an ass-whooping."

"It's a flesh wound?" Todd tried hopefully, withering under her look. "It's my strength of character that holds...me...I'm just gonna give up."

As she watched the two of them descent into a childish game, Jean noticed how the blonde's finger rested more gently on his chest and how he seemed to lean closer to her. They were close, these two, but how close she couldn't tell and she was glad that they were like this.

Todd gently lifted her hand from his chest as he continued to reassure his friend and she held his hand, not wanting to believe him for a moment. They took a moment to stare at each other before breaking up in laughter, which even reached Jean and made her smile.

"Anyway, you look like you're able to stand and get around, Greenie." Tabby said pulling his hand till Todd stood up while nodding. "Come and get some lunch with me, kay?"

"I might as well, yo. I'm starving." Todd said as he stood up, glancing at Jean. "Do you want something?"

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though." And then Jean was left to her own thoughts, her questions growing and deepening.

* * *

As they rode up in the elevator, Tabby could see that his tough persona was weakening slightly as he grimaced and pressed the ice pack to his ribs a little heavier. She bit her lip and brushed his hair aside, laughing lightly at him when he gave her a questioning look.

"You're hairs almost longer than mine, Greenie." Tabby teased, Todd shrugging and she rolled her eyes. "We're goanna have to get that fixed at some point."

"Yeah, be nice to have short hair again, yo." He mused, lifting the icepack to look at the black and purple bruises.

"You need to take better care of yourself." Todd was surprised by how serious she sounded and he nodded.

"I know but I had to do this to save Jean. I wouldn't be much of a teammate if I didn't watch out for my partner, yo." He replied as he brushed some of the water off gingerly.

Tabby smiled and as Todd looked up at her, she kissed his cheek. She laughed at the startled look on his face and patted a spot on his arm that didn't have bruises.

"You know, I wonder who's more of the good guy sometimes, you or Summers." Tabby teased, earning a laugh from Todd.

"Maybe I'm just good at faking it, yo." Todd suggested as they left the elevator.

"Being a hero or a villain?"

"You decide, Booms." Todd said with a wink.

* * *

Katana calmly strode down the hallway in her white robes and opened a large metal door and sat at a round table. There were five chairs around the table but only four were filled. She nodded to Creation, whose look of confliction worried her and then she turned to the last two members of the gather group.

"Arachnar lost, sir. He was bested by a teenager and the X-Men are now holding him." Katana report solemnly, her hood hanging low over her face.

"Really? This is interesting news. Do we know how it went?" A large figure asked, leaning forward in a chair.

"From my analysis of the area, the young man and Arachnar engaged in a physical fight. In my personal opinion, it would seem that this teenager possesses superhuman strength of considerable force and he is either a martial artist of considerable talent or he has had an enormous amount of experience in brawling." Katana reported, her posture and attitude almost robotic. "Seeing as Archanar was the fourth member of this group and one of the best at close quarter combat, I believe that this teenager could be of interest to us."

"What do we know is being done with him?" A feminine voice asked, a long black claw trailing on the table.

"I can only guess that he is being interrogated, probably by the infamous Wolverine or Xavier, and then he will be handed off to SHIELD." Katana said, her index finger toying with the dragon design on her swords guard. "That is their standard operating procedure from what I understand."

"Are we going to stick to our standard operating procedure?" Creation asked, his tone thick and harsh as he glared at the empty seat.

The silence was long and lengthy, one that was not expected. They had a strict protocol to follow, one that was clear as the difference between every single person in the room was.

"Yes…"

"Fine." Creation said as he stood, gazing at Katana with an immense amount of anger. "Then you see to it."

The Japanese swordswoman bowed her head solemnly. "As you wish, Creation." She said and paused by the door, to give him a pitying look. "I will make it swift."

* * *

"A human spider?" Tabby asked in disbelief. "Oh come on, Greenie, I know you're jerking my chain on this one."

"I'm serious, the guy's got like four extra limbs coming out of his back, yo!"

Tabby giggled as Todd went on to further describe the mutant he had been fighting at the mill. They were sitting at the small table off to the side in the kitchen, Todd gingerly eating a sandwich while Tabitha chewed on some apple. Everyone else was either elsewhere or at school at the moment, leaving them there to chat amongst themselves.

"Yeah, not to mention he had a dozen or so pupils in each frigging eye, so he could watch my every move…" Todd grumbled before trailing off as he put his sandwich down.

What that guy, Archnar, had said to him during the fight, it really worried him deep down. It could mean something more or it could be the end of what ever he was talking about, but those words had really ripped into him and it sent chills down his spine.

"_X-Men?" The man said with a pause and Todd looked up in time to see a table thrown at him. "Weee, don'tttt givee a fuck abooout theemmm. We caammme for youuu."_

Why had they come after him though? Was it because of him trashing that robot a few weeks ago or was it because of something else? Being a lackey of Magneto had exactly made him the most well liked person of all time, although he couldn't see why a mutant would avenge mutant haters.

What angle had he been trying to play? Todd shook his head; Xavier, he would talk to him and he would give him the best advice for the situation.

"Hey, wake up in there, greenie." Tabby teased with nudge, twirling a golden ball in her fingers. "Unless you want a different kind of wake up?"

"No thanks, I've had enough rough and tumble for one day, yo." Todd said as he leaned back. "I could go for a nice bath though."

"Hmm, you know, baths are great but when shared…." Todd tried to keep his eyes from popping out while he stared at her as Tabby spoke, trying to get his brain to work out some witty response.

"Um…sounds nice…." He managed out, his index finger digging its nail into his palm.

Man, he was lame…

* * *

Arachnar wheezed weakly as he sat handcuffed to the table, his body twitching as though he had been stepped on by a giant.

That kid, that Toad, had done a serious number to him; his ribs were fractured in several places, two of his legs were out of commission, his right knee had dislocated, his face was severely swollen on his right side, he had a major concussion, four fingers had been dislocated and the ligaments in his neck had been over strained from too many kicks to the head.

It was really only due to his superhuman strength and his amazing resilience that he had to even come out of the fight this well. It was laudable to call his condition well, but then again he was more than aware that he could have died and at least he was alive. So he could heal and get stronger, possibly even fight that punk again.

Arachnar leaned his head back with a sigh, his body tightening with pain as though it was trying to tell him that train of thought was….well, stupid.

Toad; that young man had been incredible, with such sharpened combat skills and a prowess in the arts that he doubt would ever wane, and he would grow with time as well. And what more, he was so young! Only eighteen or seventeen years old the broken fighter would have guessed and he was so talented in fighting already. Preston could only imagine how strong the kid would be in ten years, or even twenty.

His damage pupils sagged closed, his whole body sagging down as he thought about his own future. It was doubtful that he would see another day past this one, given the protocol that his team would follow. And honestly, thinking about it, he was glad they would honor the Code that they had all taken up.

The door opened and the burly Canadian legend known as Wolverine entered in, Arachnar straitening up as much as he could in his position of health. He had failed the mission and he had been captured, he knew the consequences.

And out of respect for his team, he would give the X-Men nothing.

* * *

Jean watched as the sliding glass doors opened and smiled weakly as Todd walked in, taking his place in the chair by her bed. He eased down into the seat but she could see that he wasn't carrying around an ice pack anymore.

She figured that he would be much better after being up for a few hours, the swelling going down as he kept moving and making his blood flow, and...she had to talk to him. Jean didn't want to talk to him about this but she knew that it was the right thing to do and that it was something she had to do. If she didn't talk to him, then this whole issue would just swallow her, drowning her in her regret.

"So, Hank said you wanted to talk to me, yo." Todd said as he shifted in his seat until he was slouching down and he propped one of his heel onto his other knee. "What wrong, Red Mistress?"

"I have something to tell you, but it's not something I'm proud of..." She said hesitantly, playing with the edge of her blanket while Todd raised a brow.

"What's with you, Jean?" Todd asked in confusion, elaborating after a shrug. "You never act this weird, yo. You always so direct with everything else."

The red headed psychic bit her lip and looked down at her sheet with a long sigh, the silence stretching out longer than it should have been. "I'm sorry, Todd." She said, her voice extremely soft.

"What?" Todd's voice, and his mind, was laced with confusion. "What the hell do you have to be-"

"I was the one who probed your mind with the danger room and I'm the one who made you fight your friend." Jean's blunt confession stopped Todd cold in the middle of his sentence. "I….I was being selfish and stupid and…."

Jean looked up at Todd and she felt that she had just taken a sledgehammer to his bruises, the young man's amber eyes wide as he stared at her in disbelief. His jaw was tightening slowly and she could see the tendons and veins in his neck, his knuckles unable to pop due to the swelling in his hand muscles. His eyes dropped down and he then stood up jerkily, walking out of the med lab.

"Todd, wait!" Jean tried to call, but her voice was horse and raspy.

But Todd still heard her. "No, fuck you, Jeanne. I'm not gonna sit here and listen to you as you try to apologize for bringing a friend of mine back from the dead to beat my ass cause you were being thick headed, yo. That kind of bullshit don't get forgiven so easily." Todd said harshly, Jean surprised and torn when she saw tears at the edges of his eyes. "You had no right to abuse my memories like that! You have no idea what….that pain…you just wouldn't know."

Todd tried to find the words to continue and Jean tried to find the words to apologize but neither one of them could, so Todd left room and Jean fell to tears. Left alone again, she had no one to blame but herself and the one person who could forgive her wasn't about to anytime soon.

* * *

Arachnar breathed heavily as he felt the wandering mind of Xavier in his head, able to feel the defenses that had been so carefully constructed in his mind come under attack. The spider mutant was no psychic but his people had access to various kinds of people, people who could work together to make intricate defenses that would be impossible even for Xavier to break.

They shook, they bent and they may have wavered ever so slightly, but they never broke. This was evident by the controlled look of frustration on the older man's face and because every attempt was like a throbbing headache.

But the arachnid fighter could take it.

Because he knew was coming.

The wheelchair confined man sighed and leaned away from Preston, the broken man sighing as the pain was alleviated. His breathing began to return to normal, though he still gulped air because of his other injuries, so he was able to catch the look between Xavier and the Wolverine.

"I'm afraid I'm unable to look further into his mind without shattering his consciousness." Xavier said regretfully, Wolverine grunting as though it were the least of his concerns. "We'll turn him over to SHIELD and request that they keep us informed on what they find."

Arachnar sighed deeply, his body relaxing at those words and he seemed to sag down in the chair. To those that didn't what he was thinking, it looked like a sign of defeat or resentment.

It was almost time…

* * *

Tabby was surprised to see Todd sitting by the pool, especially since he said he had to go down and see Jean Gray only a few minutes ago. But there the green teenager was, his pants rolled up so his legs could dangle in the water and his boy was hunched forward with his elbows on his knees.

And she had no idea why, but something didn't feel right with him.

So she walked over to her friend and stopped short so she could kick her flipflops off, sitting beside him shortly afterwards. She was glad that she was wearing shorts today because she was able to slide her legs right into the water without any concern of her clothes getting wet. She swung them in the water and enjoyed the cool water for a moment before she decided to look at Todd.

And she could see, from the red eyes and the remnants of tears lining his face that he wasn't alright. "Todd, what's wrong?"

"Nothing really….just that Jean being her normal bitch self." Todd said hoarsely, his eyes not meeting hers but looking at her reflection in the water.

Tabby frowned, confused by his words but didn't press the matter and just sat beside him. She noticed that his hand were resting over each other at the wrists and his wounded hands were clenched tightly into fists that must have been painful. The swelling around his knuckles were almost purple and the raw skin looked like it was ready to start bleeping again.

Licking her lips, she slowly reached across so he could see her moving and slipped her hand over his left hand. She could see the tension leave him a little bit as she scooted closer and placed his hand over her legs. She then cupped some water from the pool, pouring it over his hand to try and relax the muscles. He watched her carefully and intently, almost waiting for her to be cruel.

Much to her credit, Tabby maintained her focus on his hand and refused to flinch. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Toad was silent for some uncomfortable beats and just when Tabby was about to leave…. "I don't really know where to start, Tabs…."

"I don't mind, sweetie." She said patiently and gently, looking at him with a small smile. "Just wanna know what's gotten you so wound up…"

"….you know I grew on the streets, right?" Todd said softly, almost hesitantly. "I mean, I was in the orphanage and foster system, yo, but you know I ditched that, right?"

"Mm, you mentioned it back at the Hood house a few times…." Tabby said in recollection, thinking back to the few times that Todd actually talked about his past.

The green mutant was one of the most intensely guarded people about his past and he often shied away from discussions of his time before coming to Bayville. It was like he had closed that door and he never intended to open it again; it was bolted and nailed shut so he would never have to look back at the past, probably for a very good reason.

But here he was, peeking under the door and glancing back at what happened….

"Well, there was this kid, Darius. He took me under his wing, yo. Like the big brother I never had and showed me the ropes, teaching me how to survive when no one cared about us." He slowly explained, his red eyes leaking out a few more tears and he grinned at her goofily. "He's the reason I can fight, I can run….that I know how to live in the grime and survive, yo…"

Tabby said nothing, just nodded and her face made a small smile as her friend spoke. He sounded like he had been happy with other man, probably the first person to ever show him some degree of family affection.

"When he died…protecting me and these others….I, uh, I ended up running, yo. I ran so far and I ran into Mystique and Magneto, next thing I know, yo…." He stopped, shutting his eyes as he took several long breaths to calm himself down, Tabby's heart sinking as he had spoken and she gently rubbed her fingertips against his palm. "I thought I was getting past it and that things were getting better….until today…."

"What? What happened?" Tabby asked in concern, resting her closest hand on his back. "Was it because of Jean being attacked?"

The amphibious mutant then tensed throughout his body, undoing all the good work that she had done for him. "No, that wasn't what got me…so angry, yo…"

"Then what…"

"Jean…read my mind and…she…she used my memories of Darius against me…" Todd said thickly, the explosive mutant's breathing catching in her throat as she saw her friend's pain twisting on his face. "She…made me fight him, yo."

Tabby wished that now she had something to say as she saw the distress and pain in Todd's face. Not wanting to let him continue any further, the blonde scooted closer to her friend and slid her hand up to the back of his neck. As Todd looked at her, Tabby shushed him gently as she pulled him into a comforting hug and soon his body was trembling with sobs.

* * *

Moving the broken body of Aranchar was easier than expected, the two sturdy agents of SHEILD that had been sent to collect him effortlessly lifting him off the ground. The four men had been surprised to see such an infamous suspect in such an abused state and were even further shocked to find that a student had inflicted this level of damage to their prisoner. Preston's body was in too much visible agony to move on its own, evident when lift his hands so they could apply their handcuffs to him and his multiple attempts to stand up.

Even so, they took their precautions. The two large men held him under the arms and by the belt of his pants, while the other two agents followed behind him with their sidearms at the ready.

Arachnar himself didn't have the energy to struggle, let alone make an attempt at escaping. He was resigned to what was coming, seeing no reason to not let the agents drag him outside. Because as they approached the van, the young man was aware that he wasn't going to live much longer.

And he knew that Katana was already there, glancing over his shoulder as the agents paused and one followed his gaze curiously.

Standing on the edge of the balcony was the white robed figure that had killed Stephen Marrs, long black hair fluttering out from the darkness of the hood. And in one hand was the sword she had used to killed the mutant hater, the black scabbard a more purple color in the sunlight.

The SHIELD operative tensed and Arachnar released a sigh of relief. "Aaaat lasssst….."

"What the f–" That was all that the agent managed to say before the fire roared around the spider mutant.

Blazing heat and raw orange and white flame scorched the air around him, the agents of SHIELD blasted back from the force of the fires. Arachnar fell to his feet, his knees buckling until one gave out and he hissed as his crunched on the tarmac.

One of the agents landed near him, his face burned, most of his hair gone and heat was steaming off of his body as he lay there. Arachnar chuckled ruefully as he straightened up as best one could on a single knee and look at Katana.

She had managed to close the space in the time of her attack; the purple handle of her sword was all that he was able to make out and her robes fluttered in the wind like the sails on a boat. As he looked up at her face, he smiled at her regretful face as she gazed down at him with her glowing eyes; they were a vibrant red that faded into a strange royal purple, showing her affinity for fire.

Katana's eyes flickered for a moment and she suddenly spun around, dropping down to a crouch while thrusting her sword backwards. Arachnar grunted as the blade ripped through his abdomen and sagged forward despite his protests, Katana looking at him sympathetically.

"Forgive me, Preston…" She said softly, the spider mutant nodding heavily.

"I already havvve, Saaori…." He said, using her real name and this brought a smile to her face.

"I have to ask; who did this to you, my friend?" Her tone was questioning, concerned about who might have been able to beat one of their team.

"His name isss Todd….Todd Tolansssky…." Arachanar said with some difficulty. "Katana…he hasss sssuch promissse….sssuch a fine honed ssskill of combat…"

The robed woman looked at her dying companion in surprise; the spider mutant never spoke flatteringly of anyone he fought before. Preston was immensely proud of his fighting skills and judge those that he fought very critically, especially those that he had to fight to a draw.

"It'ss true, I think even you and Ssspartacuss would ssstruggle with him…" He said warningly, Katana unsettle by this declaration. The spider mutant then looked past his teammate and smiled weakly. "There….that's him over there…"

Katana's gaze snapped to where Preston was looking, spotting the two young mutant's standing there. Ignoring the blonde girl, Saori focused on the green skinned mutant.

* * *

He didn't loook like he was that much at first, a thin teenager in bandages and bruise that he sported from his fight with Preston. His long hair was a mop-like mess at best, his tattered and soaked jeans having seen better days and better owners, the injuries he carried visibly affected him and he looked too stunned at the sight before him to have the stones for a mortal fight.

The sword fight failed to see how this boy could be a….

But then she saw him. Not just looked at him and acknowledged his presence, but actually looked at him and took him in. She saw his lean figure was built for power as much as speed, he carried his injuries as though he was used to being injured when he entered into conflict, his gaze held hers in equal understanding that this situation was not concerning of him yet he still disagreed and his face held a defiance and a passion that she hadn't seen since….

"Go….you mussst be the oneee that tessstsss him…." Preston weakly hissed, Katana narrowing her gaze as she nodded.

Pulling her sword free, the robed woman spun and stood in one fluid motion with her sword sweeping around in an arc. She stopped once she was on her feet again, the head of Preston Gallagher, the mutant known as Arachnar, rolled to the floor as she sheathed her sword.

Todd yelled wordlessly, Katana crouching down and shooting towards him with her sword at her side at the ready. With her white robes swooping around her and the fires glowing, she looked like the Angel of Death descending upon the green man that brutalized her comrade and the blonde woman beside him.

She had to do what Preston asked her.

She had to test him to see if this strength that he had was what they had been hoping for.

Todd shot forward, the sword fighter disappointed that he would be so obvious in his approach to dealing with her and she nearly sighed when he crouched down to leap into the air. Katana brought he sword forward to draw, hoping her attack would teach him a lesson in combat.

But he didn't jump. Instead, he shot forward on the ground and rolled mid-leap, his heel sweeping down in what would have been a painful axe kick to her head. Katana brought her sword around, parrying his kick off to the side.

Her face flickered in a smile. At least this would be interesting.

She listened to the young man grunt as he landed on his forearm, watching him sweep his body around and then close the short distance between them. His punches were just as well coordinated as his kicks, batting away a jab aimed at her temple and an uppercut to her diaphragm with her scabbard. His foot suddenly snapped up to her face with speed she couldn't have predicted, rolling under his kick gracefully.

As she straightened up, Katana thrust the blunt end of her scabbard into the young man's stomach and the person known as Todd grunted painfully as the tip caught the edge of his ribs. He launched another kick at her side, Katana grabbing the other end of her scabbard and punched him in the mid-thigh with her hand that held the hilt. The blow didn't stop his leg entirely, Katana guessing that he had superhuman strength in his legs by the way she still moved on the spot but he was still affected by the punch.

Trying to take advantage of the position she was in, this Todd went for an elbow to her face that he ducked under and blinked when he kicked his leg between her arms. Her eyes widened when he hooked his leg around her arm, his arm moving to elbow her other hand that held his sword and she realized he was to disarm her. She also sensed the blonde girl behind her, catching a glimpse of a glowing golden sphere.

In a fluid motion, Katana unsheathed her sword in a sweeping overhead arc and swept her scabbard in low but fast circle. Her scabbed sweep pulled her arm free and also took out the young man's standing leg, while her overhead slice caught a golden sphere as it was launched at her and the edge of her sword flared a glowing orange color and a wave of fire encompassed the small orb.

Todd landed in a heap with a pained sound and the explosion that the orb released was pushed away from Katana because of the force of the fire she released, causing the blonde to dive for safety. Seeing that others were coming to their aide, the robed swordfighter realized she had to wrap things up soon.

She then stabbed her sword in the ground, a circle of flames entrapping the three mutants inside. Todd was on his feet as she removed her sword, the green mutant looking tentatively at the wall of fire while the blonde remained on the ground but edged away from the flames.

Katana then attacked.

Her sword shrilled through the air as he cut at Todd, the young man side stepping the attack with moderate skill. It was clear he was a talented unarmed fighter and by the dodge he just used, he had been shown the appropriate defenses to take when confronted with a sword.

But his hesitancy with dodge told her a very crucial piece of information; he'd never used these defenses in reality.

This was why she was able to do what she did next; when Katana cut across at his head and he instinctively ducked, she immediately snapped her wrist in a ninety degree angle and the razor edge sliced down into Todd as her eyes blazed. The sword ripped through his shoulder and over his chest, eliciting a snarl of pain from the young man.

But he surprised her again; as she cut down into him, he kicked at her at the time and his front kick only just grazed her stomach as he fell back on the floor. The robed woman stared at the young man, silently reveling in what she had just witnessed.

Preston was right but had been too praising of his defeater. This young man had promise but he was still raw, still unrefined and still in need of training. There was the potential for him to grow into something more, something that she had always hope for.

She glanced back at the young blonde, who was having trouble standing and breathing, and then back to the young man she had been fighting, seeing it was the same for him. It wasn't that surprising; this circle of flame was eating all of the oxygen in the air and now they were beginning to feel the suffocating side effects as the carbon dioxide filled the area.

Katana was unaffected only because of her mutation.

She suddenly cut in the air, her sword glowing an electric red color and a hole in the fabric in dimensions opened for her. The robed woman glanced back at the young man named Todd, narrowing her eyes as she studied him.

"Get stronger, young man." She all but ordered him, the green teenager blinking in confusion. "We'll be back and if you survive what comes next, you might see me again…."

And she then stepped through the tear, the fires pulled towards it and then seared the opening shut.

* * *

Todd was up before the light and colors began spilling onto the dark sky, no deep sleep to stir from this time. The birds weren't awake this time, the young man awake because he wasn't able to get into a deep sleep.

As he slowly sat up, he ran his fingers down the scabbing wound that the woman in the robes had given him. He knew that it wasn't luck that had saved him, it had been her decision to show him that she could have easily taken his arm off and that she didn't because she didn't want to.

Well, didn't want to at that point in time.

It had been several weeks since he fought Arachnar and then had his ass handed to him by the woman in robes, which tossed him right back into the med-bay. It had only really been a few days ago that he had been released from the medical ward and allowed to go back to his room, the amphibious mutant glad to get away from Jean.

The psychic had tried to speak with him a few times but he just rolled over and thought of the blankest thoughts that he could muster. Eventually she gave up and let him rest in peace, but she look mournful and pained every time that he saw her.

Well, fuck her. It served her right for poking around his head like that.

Climbing out of bed gingerly as he realized that he wasn't going to go back to sleep, he slowly walked to the bathroom and haphazardly grabbed a towel from the back of a chair. As he silently walked down the dark hallways of the X-Mansion, he sighed in discontentment.

He knew that his lack of sleep was because of two things. The first was the fact that he felt that the mistrust he had of the residents in the mansion before was now even worse, especially after what Jean pulled. He was even aware that the main team of X-Geeks felt that she was justified in her actions. He felt his jaw tighten in irritation but let his mind continue to his other and slightly more pressing worry.

The woman had told him that "we will be back". That scared Todd to his bones as it meant that there was more to this team than what he had initially seen. It was unnerving to him to say the least that the recent events could all be linked together. The android that attack him and Scott and then two vicious mutant fighters come for him, him specifically.

He gulped as he entered the bathroom, unsettled by what it all could mean.

He hoped that things wouldn't be that bad for him and those in the mansion, despite this dark feeling that told him that something worse was coming.

The End / Le Fin / L'Estremita / El Extremo / Das Ende

* * *

So that's the whole story, nothing more nothing less. Kind of a weird way to be leaving this story but I'm actually happy with it. I give enough happy endings that I wanted to leave this with a slightly more ambiguous setting.

Besides, I have some more stories that will pick up from where this one left off and those are going to be…well, interesting seems the be the best word for it. And for now, this is where this story will end.

Anyways, please review and tell me what you think about this fic.


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